Embodied in Love and Shadow
by IaretehSarah
Summary: ZADR - The tallest's finally tell Zim what a joke he's been to them... Now depressed, Zim takes his 'mission' seriously, and plans to blow up Earth -- Can Dib talk him out of it?


Lets see how this goes… my first IZ fic. Most likely ZADR (Because I'm highly obsessed with Yaoi).

Disclaimer: I own nothing in this story, so don't sue me.

Also, please note: I wrote this a few days before getting DVD set three… so, sorry if it seems as if this story is repeating, or something.

Song: Coheed and Cambria – "Three Evils (Embodied in Love and Shadow)"

One shot.

-

It had been one of the normal, average, boring hi skool days… Zim and Dib had been sitting in their school desks, hardly paying attention to what the teacher had been rambling on about for the past half hour. Really, the both of them had been preoccupied by periodically glaring at each other throughout the entire class hour. It had just been like every ordinary day, it seemed. And, it stayed that way until the bell would ring, signaling the end of the school day. Everyone besides Zim and Dib would race out of the room… the Alien and the boy had still been in their standstill glare.

"Gonna go home to your alien base, huh, Zim?"

There was a slight pause, and a blink before Zim had been standing atop his desk, arm outstretched with a finger pointing at Dib. "YOU LIIIE!" He had screeched, before disappearing from the room in a quick sprint. Dib hadn't been too far behind him.

Things never really seemed to change between the two… Dib was still obsessed with trying to prove to the world that Zim was an alien; and Zim was still bent on world domination. And even though they had entered hi skool, their constant bickering never seemed to cease. A lot of the other kids secretly had bets going to see who would completely and utterly explode on the other first, Zim, or Dib. And, with everyone questioning Zim and Dib's sanity, bet tolls were pretty high on both sides.

_Across the floor in the hand of where we drove the drill,  
a cautious ear to the mouth of your confession…  
Think of all the things we put him through,  
in the face of his god would he tell the truth?_

The walk home was just like any other… Zim had walked ahead of the ever patronizing Dib, arms up, and resting behind his green head. A light whistle had escaped his lips, Zim's way of trying to act as human as he could, while ignoring the stupid Dib-monkey. Once they had reached Zim's door, he Zim would open it, and turn to the stalking Dib. "Go home, worm baby!" And with that said, Zim's men's' bathroom sign had been slammed in Dib's face.

Dib just sighed, and watched as Zim made his way down to his laboratory, and while dodging his attack gnomes, would knock on the door and wait for Gir to answer the door and let him in.

"My tallest." Zim had said, stalking into the large computer screen that had connected him to the Irk Leaders. "I have devised another plan to destroy Earth and all of its creatures!" It seemed as if Zim could never hear the snickers that were given, every time he called out to his home planet. "First I—"

"Zim…" Red would speak up, after getting over his giggle fit with his partner who sat beside him. Clearing his throat, the Red leader spoke up again. "It's been sever years since you've been banish—Er… I mean, since we've sent you to Earth. And time and time again, you've come up with nothing! Perhaps it's time you see how worthless you really are to us! You were banished to earth because that was the farthest away we could send you." Suddenly, Red had been cut off by Purple's continuous laughing, and side remarks. A red laser beam was sent into his eye, and the Purple leader fell out of his chair and off screen.

"We don't want to hear from you anymore, Zim. You're no longer an invader." And with that, Zim's end of the screen had been cut off, and faded to blackness once again.

Zim would sit, in silence for a moment or so, feeling as if his heart (or what would be considered his heart) had been ripped out from his chest, slowly. Suddenly, Zim didn't feel so high and mighty anymore… and the last thing he needed to see was Dib, who had been standing right outside of the elevator door to his lab.

"I said go home, Dib-monkey…" Zim had said, lacking in his crazed and domineering tone.

"And I was right all along, it seemed…" Dib had smirked, arms crossing over his chest.

"Yeah, I guess so."

"Wait!" Dib had blinked, watching Zim slink from his chair and walk further away, slowly he would follow. "This is where you would turn, stick your finger in my face, and screech some loud comeback and blow out one of my ear drums!"

"Eh, don't feel like it."

"Wow… this is a whole other side to you I haven't seen… Zim, lower than dirt."

"I said HOME, DIB-MONKEY!" Regaining some of his attitude, he would screech, pointing a finger at Dib. Though, Dib wondered how much of an act it really was… No matter how much Dib wanted to admit it, over these past years, he knew Zim pretty well. His attitude, the way he thought, and even some of the actions to comments he, or others would make… It gave a whole new meaning to that saying 'Keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer.' Too bad Dib didn't have any friends to keep totally true to that saying…

_Still recorded were the words that dribbled out his kiss,  
when eyes go blind in this man of what could once become…  
Sever the limbs off his torso in sleep,  
and burn what remains so the world may now see  
no longer...Will we wait for your answers?  
Back to the hell where you've come from!  
Think of all the times you've once had,  
write them in a letter that says goodbye._

"You might be my enemy, Zim… but there's no way you could ever trick me into believing this hasn't affected you." Dib would say with a slight smirk. It made Zim turn, and look at him.

"What does it matter to you, Dib-Scum, weather I'm affected or not?" Zim would pause, to try and rethink that sentence… it didn't come out as best as it could have.

"Well, who else would I argue with day after day? Everyone else in skool is just too stupid."

"True…" Zim would stroke his own shin, nodding in agreement. He didn't seem to notice Dib taking steps towards him.

'_No one knows him better than I do…'_ Dib thought, _'Wait, why_ _do I pride that? Oh yeah… keep your enemies closer… But still…'_

"Hello?" Zim had blinked at Dib's lack of silence, and wondered when he had gotten so close. "Do you still have a point in being here, Dib-Monkey?"

"MONKAAAAY!" The high pitched, screeching voice of Gir ran all throughout Zim's base, as he cam shooting out of Zim's elevator-like shoot. Gir looked around, before racing up to Zim. "Awwwwww! Master looks sad! SOMEBODY NEEDS A HUUUG!" He had continued to yell atop his (nonexistent) lungs, before attaching himself to Zim's side.

"GAH!" Zim had yelled once he was tackled, and fought to try and detach Gir, to no avail. "Get off of me, you sad excuse for a SIR!"

Dib watched the two quarrel amongst themselves, sighing a bit before he heard Zim yell something about Gir going to watch the Angry Monkey Show, and the robot disappeared just as quickly as he came, leaving the two of them alone again. And suddenly, Dib wondered why being alone with Zim meant anything right then.

Zim would turn from Dib's sight once again, and head back over to his computer. It left Dib feeling really awkward, the fact that Zim didn't call his computer on him, and force him out… and the fact that he was left there, with nothing to say. An awkward silence had passed. Dib looked to the floor, hoping to find something highly amusing, only to be let down. A sigh passed, and he spoke up. "So, who needs your planet, Zim? I mean…" And he had fallen into silence, not knowing what to say to a depressed Alien.

"Your right, Dib-Stink, who needs them. I'll just destroy this planet without their say, and prove to them how much I'm needed."

Dib felt a small bead of sweat roll down the side of his face. All he could manage to say was a small "Heh…"

_You'll listen to reason while you're face down in the dirt.  
You'll stomach the hurt and break for him here just how much he's worth._

"That's not really what I meant, you know, Zim…"

"Shut up, Dib-Monkey, if I want to destroy the world, I WILL!" Zim had shouted, sending hid fist into the palm of his hand.

"Or… you can not destroy the world…?" Dib blinked.

"SHUT UUUUUUP! Computer!" Zim demanded.

"Yes?" The electronic voice had sounded, then.

"Activate control unit to outer space base, to begin plan: blow up EARRRTH!"

"Yes." The computer responded. "T-minus one minute in counting until outer space base is activated."

Another, quite larger, sweat drop would roll down the side of Dib's head, blinking. "Now, what will all of this do, exactly?"

"The base that sits outside the Earth's orbit will activate, and send giant laser beams directly at Earth, making entire countries explode!" Zim would half yell, triumphantly.

"And… you've had this all along, I'm assuming?"

"Yes."

"And… you didn't use it beforehand?" Dib blinked, trying to understand his foe's logic.

"SHUT UUUP!"

"Forty seconds." The computer chimed up.

Dib blinked, again. "Do you plan to escape Earth before you make the entire planet explode?"

"Of course, Dib-Monkey!"

"MONKAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!" Gir's hysterical voice rang through the base once again, this time tackling Dib, playfully. "Hi Mr. Big Head!"

"Well…! GAH!" Dib stumbled forward, falling on his face, before looking up at Zim.

"Twenty seconds." The computer reminded.

"Well… I don't think you'll have time now, Zim." Dib just had to grin as Zim looked at Dib in confusion, before a slight look of panic crossed his face. "You'll just have to perish with us Earth creatures, huh!" By this time, Gir had gotten up off of Dib, and wandered off somewhere.

"COMPUTER!" Zim shrieked, "Cancel Mission Blow Up Earth!"

"Negative. Ten seconds."

"NEGATIVE!" Zim continued to yell, making Dib wonder if his ears would bleed. "IMPOSSIBLE!"

"Eight seconds."

"AHHHH!" Zim began screaming, grabbing at his wig.

"Seven."

"AHHHHH!"

"Stop yelling!" Dib screamed, holding his ears.

"Six!"

"AHHHHHH!"

"Five."

"Stooooooop!"

"Four."

And suddenly, everything in Zim's Laboratory had gone black, and out of the darkness came Gir's screeching voice. "WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-HOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! LET'S DO THAT AGAIN!"

Dib and Zim had sat there, in complete darkness for what seemed like eons, just contemplating what had went on, and what might have happened. Dib, grateful that the human race was once again saved thanks to… Well… Gir. For some reason, Dib wondered what Zim had been thinking about, at that exact moment. "…Zim?"

"Yes, Dib?"

Dib blinked, taking note of two things: That Zim called him by just his name, and also that Zim's voice had sounded closer to him then before. It made him blink. "Where are you?"

"…Right beside you."

"Oh…" There was no light to make his eyes adjust to the darkness, so even if Zim was right beside him, he wouldn't be able to see him… Even if he wanted to. "Zim…?"

"Yes, Dib?"

"…How about we call a truce?"

Zim blinked, in the darkness. "What are you planning, foolish worm baby?"

"Nothing… I just figured…"

"Since I have no one backing me up, it's better to call a truce with you?" Zim took the words straight from Dib's own mouth. Perhaps it was true, that the two knew each other better than anyone else.

"And… All our fights are getting pretty repetitive…"

"Shut up, Dib-Worm." Zim spat out, before sighing. "Fine. Truce, I guess."

_Slowly discarded were the remains of his lonely youth…  
Among the alley where the dwellers scare to notice:  
Picture a young boy in pieces and streets with leveled malfunctions,  
no name to be called redeemer.  
We'll fix him, restore him...with the love is no other.  
Think of all the things you did before,  
write them in a letter that says reborn…_

The two of them remained there, sitting in the darkness… After their truce, the two didn't really speak, so once again… they had more time to reflect on things. But, both of them seemed to think about nearly the same things: Dib thought about how he grew up… and the fact that he never really had anyone to call a friend. And, in some strange way, Zim was the first person that he could ever call 'friend'. Oh, sure… the things they did, and said weren't friend like by anyone's terms… but they seemed to understand one another. And they knew how the other thought. Zim wondered in the darkness, how long he had been a laughing stock to the Irkin (SP?) race… and how come he never saw it, ever? Perhaps he was too much of a fool to ever see it?

"I wonder how stupid someone really could be?" Zim pondered out loud.

"Huh?" Dib blinked. "Hey! We just called a truce, Zim!"

"I'm not talking about you, Dib. For once, I'm talking about myself."

"Huh?" This confused Dib even more.

"I never really saw how much of a joke I really was to them, until now. And—Ah! You DARE hit the mighty ZIM!" Fingers rose up, touching the sore spot on his cheek that had just been hit.

"There, that's more like it…"

"Huh?" It was Zim's turn to blink, then.

"So what if they dumped you, Zim? They're probably a low class alien race." Dib smirked, arms unfolding and trying to find exactly where Zim had been sitting. After waving his arms around, and a few tries later, his hands clasped on Zim's shoulders. "It's not like you're alone in the world."

"Huh?" Zim seemed to be repeating himself…

"You've got me." And suddenly Dib blushed at the actions he was about to take, and leaned in, kissing Zim's cheek. And that's when the lights in the lab suddenly turned on, Gir shouting something or another and racing out of the laboratory and up the shoot once again. It only made Dib freeze, feeling Zim's red eyes on him.

"Dib… What are you doing?" He asked, bluntly.

"I… uh…" Dib then pulled back, stuttering for an answer.

_Following you across the interstate walking away...I'll fire on,  
Following you across the interstate walking away...I'll fire on,  
Following you across the interstate walking away...I'll fire on…_

"Shut up, Dib-Monkey." Zim would wave his hand absent mindly at him, before standing up, and turning his back to him. He wasn't stupid… No matter how much Zim didn't care about the humans, or skool, some of the things the teachers taught just seemed to stick in his brain like… like… some sort of sticky mess Gir would make. And, one of those lessons had been back in his younger days, when they explained about how human emotions worked.

Zim understood that humans had emotions, and they fell _in love_ and did things along those lines. And, somewhere, Zim had those feelings as well… but they were well buried; mostly because the elders disapproved of those emotions, and wanted their pupils to take over planets and destroy. And Zim always wanted to please them… to be the best.

Zim sighed, and turned to see that Dib had rose to his feet, and was still looking at him. What was he to do now, Zim wondered. He couldn't just sit down, and be a normal human worm baby… "NEVAR!" Zim randomly shouted out, knocking Dib back a few feet, and caused him to stare oddly at Zim. And he Zim didn't notice, for he was too lost in thought. No… perhaps he could call a truce with Dib, but still take over the world? That was a plan for later…

"Dib-Monkey?"

"Yes, Zim?"

Zim would take a step closer to Dib, leaning in and returning the kiss on the cheek he was given. "…Thanks." And with that, Zim had turned, and walked away. "Now get out of my house before I make my computer throw you out."

It seemed as if some things would never change…

-

Finished! This was a one shot, in two chapters.

If you've gotten this far, THANK YOU! This is my first (And most likely) my last IZ fic. I'm not too good at writing fics… and most of them are all Yaoi/shonen-ai/boy on boy related.

; Thanks for reading! __


End file.
